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You watch it because it is the only time you get 90% of the draftable prospects together and have them work out. And, while they are not playing football, many of the drills are excellent representations of skills applicable to their position. For example, an OT should look good in the kick slide drill and be able to change directions relatively well in other drills. Of course, the game film is more important, but this is the one place you can compare the technique and athleticism of most of the draftable prospects directly to each other. Finally, as Mayock always says, the combine exposes weaknesses. For example, if a cornerback has a bad back pedal, has trouble locating the football, or has trouble changing direction smoothly, those are serious red flags.

Even if Bill Belichick was getting an atomic wedgie, his face would look exactly the same.

For me, the only reason I would attend the combine is to interview the players and attempt to put them under stress mentally with questions about the game, maybe specific game film of them and on field situations in which they will find themselves during their careers. I wouldn't watch the running, jumping, sliding, etc, because I wouldn't want what I see happening in shorts and turf shoes influence what I've seen on film in an actual game.

Put them under mental stress to see how they hold up and what they know or don't know and be done. At this point, how fast they run or how they jump should be irrelevant.

Posted by Michael David Smith on February 24, 2013, 9:27 AM EST AP
West Virginia receiver Tavon Austin proclaimed himself the [URL="http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/22/tavon-austin-im-the-best-player-in-the-draft/"]best player in this year’s draft[/URL]. He’s also one of the fastest players ever to enter any NFL draft.

But he’s not necessarily the fastest player in this draft.

Austin ran a 40-yard dash in an unofficial time of 4.25 seconds. If that holds up when all of the official times come in, it will be the second-fastest in the history of the NFL Scouting Combine, second only to Chris Johnson’s 4.24.

Except that just a couple minutes after Austin turned in his 40 time, Texas receiver Marquise Goodwin equaled it with a 4.25-second 40-yard dash of his own. Goodwin, who was in the Olympics last year as a long jumper, said before the Combine that he thought he could break Johnson’s record.

The NFL releases the official times after all of the receivers have run their 40-yard dashes. Austin and Goodwin will prove to be among the fastest ever to run in Indianapolis.

Why watch anything? The draft? The preseason? The pregames? The games? The SuperBowl?

It just entertainment. And it boils down to how you choose to perceive it in your mind. Anything can be entertaining if you tell yourself it is. 100% of what we do in life is a waste of time. So you might as well enjoy whatever you're doing

The combine is just program filler for the NFL Network. As Pappy said probably the only benefit is that it is the first toime many NFL teams get an opportunity to talk to players they are interested in and get a sense of what kind of person they will be be in the future.

Get use to this kinda coverage because if the NFL gets their way the Combine is going to slip to March and they will be televising the regional combines that precede the main combine. They will also probably set it up so a couple players will earn invites to the main combine out of the regional combines to add drama. Get use to seeing young men in shorts because more of that is coming your way in the future.

Because it's the first taste of football after Jonezing it all off season and it's the first time to see the new guys on the team or guys who have not made the field last season.

The pregames? The games? The SuperBowl?

I have to answer this?

It just entertainment. And it boils down to how you choose to perceive it in your mind. Anything can be entertaining if you tell yourself it is.

So if I tell myself pouring lighter fluid on my crouch and lighting it is fun, I will find it entertaining? This doesn't make much sense.

100% of what we do in life is a waste of time.

So helping a person in need is a waste of time? Feeding the hungry is a waste of time? Working out to get in better shape is a waste of time?

So you might as well enjoy whatever you're doing

But we all have personal preferences. My brother in law loves sitting on the deck of his cabin in the mountains, doing nothing. I would rather do anything but that. But if I tell myself it's fun, it will be? I tried it. It still sucked. My point is watching the combine teaches us virtually nothing and isn't all that entertaining. It's kind of like sitting on the deck of a cabin in the mountains, but not as bad.

The combine is just program filler for the NFL Network. As Pappy said probably the only benefit is that it is the first toime many NFL teams get an opportunity to talk to players they are interested in and get a sense of what kind of person they will be be in the future.

Get use to this kinda coverage because if the NFL gets their way the Combine is going to slip to March and they will be televising the regional combines that precede the main combine. They will also probably set it up so a couple players will earn invites to the main combine out of the regional combines to add drama. Get use to seeing young men in shorts because more of that is coming your way in the future.

Oh they can turn it into an all-year event. I got lots of channels to choose from. The only thing I find just a little bit meaningful is the 40 times of the RBs, WR, CBs, etc. And even that is not always meaningful, but it can be. Often times the guy with the best 40 time still stinks. Other times, it is relevant, such as when Chris Johnson ran a 4.24. That ended up being significant since he was a legit football player in addition to being insanely fast. But if football came down only to pure speed, we'd have the world champion sprinters on every roster. I think teams tend to put too much weight on the combine results. I like the Jimmy Johnson school of thought: base most everything on their production on the football field - everything else is peripheral. That's why he stole players such as Zach Thomas, who was sad to be too short and slow to be a good player, but some how, that stuff was not as meaningful as his production was. He was right.

But we all have personal preferences. My brother in law loves sitting on the deck of his cabin in the mountains, doing nothing. I would rather do anything but that. But if I tell myself it's fun, it will be? I tried it. It still sucked. My point is watching the combine teaches us virtually nothing and isn't all that entertaining. It's kind of like sitting on the deck of a cabin in the mountains, but not as bad.

To each his own. I was asking dumb questions rhetorically. Some will enjoy this stuff - like sitting on a deck in the mountains - and others won't.

And what's that saying - don't knock it til you try it? You should definitely light your crotch on fire and get back to us letting us know if you enjoyed that